Textile size



Patented May 25, 193 7 d UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TEXTILE SIZE Henry Leupold, Nutley, N. 1., assignor to National Oil Products Company, Harrison, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey No Drawing. Application July 19, 1935, Serial No. 32,235

9 Claims. (Cl. 91 68) My invention relates to textile sizing matethe sized warp threads are then sent to the rials and refers particularly to sizes adapted for weaver and set up in the loom. the treatment of regenerated cellulose and re- The process for preparing rayon tobe used generated cellulose esters especially suitable for for filling yarn will be outlined and described in the production of crepe fabric. more detail as my process is especially adaptable 5 Rayon and other regenerated cellulosic fibers to yarns which receive a high twist for the proas produced by the manufacturer are plastic in duction of crepes.

nature and will elongate, or stretch, under the e following at e are m o y given tensions necessary in processing also produce to filling C epe Of this p and usual yon y t chafling in weaving. Elongation-results in a loss rayons of the regenerated cellulose type: 10

of denier, much of the original pliancy of the L soaking yarn and also in a change in dye amnity. In Conditioning a crepe fabric much of the crepe effect is lost. 3; Sfiinning and twisting It is, therefore, necessary to coat or size these Twist setting fibres in order to provide an emcient protective Cupping and mining l5 coating to the yarns and filaments, to overcome weaving these difliculties. All woven fabrics are com- Embossing posed of warp and filling threads. Those threads Boibofi which run lengthwise in a fabric are called warp threads; those which are perpendicular tothese Rayon yam is manufactured Various sized 20 are the filling th d filaments, a number of which are combined in a I h preparation of warp and fini g threads slight twist to produce a given denier size. for weaving are different in method and will be A thread 480 meters long weighing 1/20 M a briefly described. gram or one denier is called a singledenier yarn.

Yam t be used for warps may be either of The denier size of rayon commonly used for 25 regenerated cellulose type or of the cellulose es- Crepes may Y from 100-300 f ter type; for instance, viscose or cellulose ace- The yam 15 generally Soaked 1n as lotsv (110 lbs.) one lot being used for right hand Th tz f i i' gi fi carefpny wound on twist and the other for the left hand twist. Each g tly wider than the width of the final fab lot is tinted a distinctive color for later identi- 30 1'10, and has a collar at each end The t ads m be k t u 1 fication. The material for soaking usually conme ep para. e sists of an emulsifiable oil together with a size each other tmoughqut the operation whlch is such as glue or gelatine to give firmness. The accomplished by feedmg them through the teeth skeins are soaked in an aqueous emulsion of this of a metal comb called a reed, closed at top and bottom and placed just ahead of the beam. Each i i gg fi ig, :1 1 ,52 3 lfi g fi ig g'l 35 beam at the end of this warpmg process will extracted by centrifugal force until they contain 0011mm about 600 Yards of warp threads- They about their own weight of moisture. Each skein represent the final fabric; minus h fining is then shaken out by hand to avoid tangling 40 threads and hung up in a warm room to dry. 3 40 The next p ocess o e sizme is carried out 2. Conditioning is simply the placing of the on a machine called a slasher. Here the threads k i m a humidified atmosphere to allow the a e ed y Passing a metal e WhiQh taking up of the normal amount of moisture or ps o a trough Containing S ze at humidity characteristic of the fibre. For viscose a suitable concentration and temperature, and process rayon, this regain, as it is called, is 45 which, by revolving at the same speed as the yarn about 8 v carries up enough of the size to impregnate the 3. The conditioned yarn is next cross-wound yarn. The sized yarn then immediately passes on to spools, which are then transferred to the over and under a series of usually five large spinning frames to receive a high twist. Crepe steam heated cylinders whereby the size becomes fabrics are recognized by their crinkled or 50 dried in theyarn which is then wound on to a pebbled appearance. The crinkle is the result similar warp beam at the end of the machine. I of the twisting of the yarn but does not show up The whole process is continuous and the nature in the fabric until after the size has been removed of the size, speed of running, tension, etc. must in the boil-01f process. The amount of twist may be strictly controlled. These beams containing be as high as turns for every inch of yarn. The 6 trend" higher the twist, the greater the contractile power of the yarn after boiling-ofi, that is, it will kink up more.

As stated above, half of each lot is given a right hand or clockwise twist, and the other half a left hand, or counter clockwise twist. This is necessary in the production of a crepe fabric and both types of twist are used in the weaving of filling yarns into the warp threads in the loom.

4. Twist-setting is accomplished by exposing the properly twisted yarn on spools to an atmosphere of steam under pressure for a definite time. Its purpose is to'fix the twist so that it will -stay put during subsequent rewinding operations and during weaving.

5. Copping is a rewinding operation from the spools to quills, cops or shuttle bobbins especially adaptable to the weaving machine or loom.

6. Weaving is carried out on a loom in which the prepared warp is interlaced with filling threads supplied by the loaded quills on either side of the warp. The twisted yarn from the quills is threaded by means of shuttles, which are the implements by which the filling threads are shot to and fro across the warp, thereby producing the fabric. Each filling thread in the woven cloth is called a pick and each warp thread an The two shuttles alternate with each other in their motion-across the warp, one carrying right hand twisted yarn and the other left hand twisted yarn. For example, a 2 x 2 filling crepe is produced with 2 picks of right hand twist, followed by 2 picks of left; a. 4 x 4 means four picks right hand and 4 picks left. The alternating of opposite twist yarns is necessary to produce an even closed face and pebbles in the finished cloth.

7. Embossing is an auxiliary mechanical creping process, usually applied to insure uniform creping and give a better creping effect. It consists in passing the woven fabric between two rollers'under pressure, one roller containing a raised dotted design and the other containing corresponding indentations. If previous sizing and other treatment are correctly carried out, this process should not be necessary, indeed in some cases it has been found to give a flatter pebble than otherwise obtained, but nevertheless, it is commonly carried out as a precautionary measure.

8. The boil-off is the removal of the size from the woven fabric to allow the twisted yarns to spring back to their most natural condition and produce the kinked or creped effect. It is also necessary'as a cleaning or, scouring process, before the goods are dyed and finished. It is done by immersing and working the goods in a hot liquor containing alkaline solution or emulsifiable oils or soaps. This constitutes the present practice of manufacturing rayon crepe fabrics.

My invention involves the use of a specific size in soaking these yarns, particularly the filling yarn which receives a high twist and by the use I of which a heavier, deeper, crepe is produced.

I have found that a condensation product from urea and its compounds and approximately one mole equivalent of aldehydes, when produced under circumstances, acts as a size of great value for in my process are formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and butyl aldehyde.

Among the emulsifiable oils or .soaps which I can employ are the sulfonated and unsulfonated castor oil, olive oil, cottonseed oil, rapeseed oil and cocoanut oil.

I give the following as examples of my sizing compounds.

Example 1 1 Per cent by weight Formaldehyde (37% strength); 35 Methyl or ethyl alcohol 15 Cocoanut oil potash soap (anhydrous) 15 Water 10 Urea 25 I mix the formaldehyde with the alcohol, then add the soap and water which may or may not be previously mixed. The mixture is then stirred without heat until the soap has dissolvedwhen the urea is added. Stirring is continued until complete solution is effected.

The amounts given may be varied as long as sufiicient alkaline stabilizing material is present to keep the product in liquid form. Furthermore, this size is not limited to the use of urea and formaldehyde but there may be substituted derivations of these compounds, such as thio urea, acetaldehyde, butaldehyde etc.

Example 2 Formula for size without use of alcohol Per cent by weight Urea 30 Formaldehyde (37% strength) 40 Water 15 Olive oil soda soap (anhydrous) 15 Mix formaldehyde with water, dissolve the soap and then the urea Example 3 Formula with a urea substitution product Per cent Urethane -2. 18 Formaldehyde (37% strength); 16 Water 50 Cocoanut oil potash soap (anhydrous) 16 Example 4 Formula with another aldehyde than formaldehyde Per cent Urea 15 Alcohol 20 Butaldehyde 18 Water 16 sulfonated oleic acid triethanolamine soap Example 5 Formula using sulfonated oil soap instead .of

straight soap Per cent Urea 30 Alcohol 15 Formaldehyde (37%) Q. 40 Sulfonated castor oil potash soap (50%) 15 The following'example is given as typical of my soaking procedurez- Example 6 after which the usual practice outlined above is carried out.

Example 7 Rayon pounds 100 Urea formaldehyde condensation product do 16 Gdlatine do 3- /2 Water gallons 50 It is to be understood that any denier size' rayon suitable for this type of fabric may be used, also that these proportions can be varied to suit special conditions and that other agents may be incorporated, if necessary, to give additional properties to the rayon.

Among the advantages of my soaking and sizing preparation over present methods are the following:

1. The sized yarn gives a coarser or heavier crepe than when the usual oil and gelatine is used, for the same type of rayon. This is due to an extra shrinkage treatment which my compound imparts to the rayon.

2. The size is easily diluted with water, no previous heating to dissolve solid or pasty ingredients being necessary.

3. The sized yarn or the woven fabric may be stored indefinitely without fear of the development of objectionable odors such as are caused by rancidity and oxidation.

4. The use of the embossing process may be eliminated.

It will be seen that my process possesses certain definite advantages over previously known processes. I do not limit the process to the sizing of viscose or regenerated cellulose for filling yarns as the compound may also be used in warp sizing on this as well as on rayons of the cellulose ester type.

Gelatine, glue or other similar chemicals may, or may not, be present in my size during its application to the fiber.

In my specification and claims, I employ the word rayon in a generic sense to include the regenerated celluloses and cellulose esters among which are viscose, nitro-cellulose and cupra-ammonia cellulose.

I do not limit myself to the particular compounds, times, temperatures, quantities or steps of procedure specifically mentioned, as these are given simply as a means for clearly describing my invention.

What I claim is:--

1. A water-soluble size adapted for the treatment of cellulosic rayon fibers containing a water-soluble, condensation compound obtained size in a water-soluble state on the fibers.

by mixing a urea compound with an aldehyde in the presence of a water-soluble soap of a member of the group consisting of fatty acids, sulfonated fatty acids and sulfonated fatty oils in an amount sufiicient to maintain the size in a water-soluble state on the fibers.

2. A water-soluble size adapted for the treatment of cellulosic rayon fibers containing a water-soluble condensation compound obtained by mixing urea with an aldehyde in the presence of a water-soluble soap of a member of the group consisting of fatty acids, sulfonated fatty acids and sulfonated fatty oils in an amount suficient to maintain the size in a water-soluble state on the fibers.

3. A water-soluble size adapted for the treatment of cellulosic rayon fibers containing a water-soluble condensation compound obtained by mixing a urea compound with formaldehyde in the presence of a water-soluble soap of a member of the group consisting of fatty acids, sul- .fonated fatty acids and sulfonated fatty oils in an amount sufiicient to maintain the size in a water-soluble state on the fibers.

4. A water-soluble size adapted for the treatment of cellulosic rayon fibers containing a water-soluble condensation compound obtained by mixing urea with formaldehyde in the presence of a water-soluble soap of a member of the group consisting of fatty acids, sulfonated fatty acids and sulfonated fatty oils in an amount sufiicient to maintain the size in a water-soluble state on the fibers.

v5. In a process for producing a water-soluble size upon cellulosic rayon fibers the step which consists in treating rayon fibers-with a watersoluble size obtained by mixing a urea compound with'an aldehyde in the presence of a water-soluble soap of a member of the group consisting of fatty acids, sulfonated fatty acids and sulfonated fatty oils in an amount suflicient to maintain the size in a Water-soluble state on the fibers. A

6; A water-soluble size adapted for the treatment of rayon fibers containing a water-soluble condensation compound obtained by mixing a urea compound with an aldehyde in the presence of a potassium soap of coconut oil fatty acids in an amount suflicient to maintain the 7. A water-soluble-size adapted for the treatment of rayon fibers containing a water-soluble condensation compound obtained by mixing a urea compound with an aldehyde in the presence of a triethanolamine soap of sulfonated oleic acid in an amount sufiicient to maintain the size in a water-soluble state on the fibers.

8. In a process for producing a water-soluble 1 size upon rayon fibers the step which consists in treating rayon fibers with a water-soluble size obtained by mixing a urea compound with an aldehyde in the presence of a potassium soap of coconut oil fatty acids in an amount sufdcient to maintain the size in a water-soluble state on the fibers. x

9. In a process for producing a water-soluble size upon rayon fibers the step which consists in treating rayon fibers with a water-soluble size obtained by mixing a urea compound with an aldehyde in the presence ofa triethanolamine soap of sulfonated oleic acid in an amount sufficient to maintain the size in a water-soluble state on the fibers.

HENRY LEUPOLD. 

